Broadband light sources, super-continuum sources, and Mid-Infrared Fiber Light (MIRFIL) sources are described that generate wavelength in the mid-infrared (mid-IR being wavelengths substantially between 2 to 5 microns) based on nonlinear processes in optical fibers. Examples of nonlinear processes in optical fibers include super-continuum (SC) generation, modulational instability (MI), cascaded Raman wavelength shifting (CRWS), and four-wave mixing (4WM). Examples of optical fibers include fused silica fibers, fluoride fibers, chalcogenide fibers, and tellurite fibers.
Current techniques of generating mid-IR light include the use of optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) or optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs). However, OPOs and OPAs are generally expensive, complicated, and involve moving parts that are prone to mis-alignment. Alternative techniques for generating mid-IR light involve the use of quantum cascade lasers (QCL). However, QCL's are generally difficult to operate at wavelengths shorter than about 4.4 microns, they put out low output powers, they have relatively low efficiency, and they often required pulsed operation or cryogenic cooling.
A simpler technique for generating mid-IR light is to use laser diodes to pump optical fibers. The MIRFIL can exemplary involve the generation of mid-IR light in optical fibers by pumping with a variety of lasers including laser diodes, solid state lasers, or cladding-pumped fiber lasers. In one embodiment, SC generation is achieved to simultaneously generate a wide band of wavelengths, which can advantageously be used to mimic the black body radiation of hot metal objects or to perform spectral fingerprinting to identify one or more chemical species. The fiber based MIRFIL can be lighter, more robust, more compact, simpler and less costly than the OPA or OPO alternatives. Moreover, the MIRFIL can produce a single spatial mode with minimal requirements for optical alignments. In a preferred embodiment, nanosecond pulses are used to generate mid-IR light. In addition, the MIRFIL approach leverages the enormous investment in telecommunications technologies and the mature fiber platform.
One embodiment of a broadband light source comprises one or more laser diodes capable of generating a pump signal with a wavelength shorter than 2.5 microns and a pulse width of at least 100 picoseconds. The one or more laser diodes are coupled to one or more optical amplifiers, which are capable of amplifying the pump signal to a peak power of at least 500 W. A first fiber is further coupled to the one or more optical amplifiers, wherein the pump signal wavelength falls in an anomalous group-velocity dispersion regime of the first fiber, wherein the pump signal is modulated using a modulational instability mechanism in the first fiber, and wherein different intensities of the pump signal can cause relative motion between different parts of the modulated pump signal produced through modulational instability in the first fiber. A nonlinear element is coupled to the first fiber, and the nonlinear element is capable of broadening the pump optical spectral width to at least 100 nm through a nonlinear effect in the element.
In another embodiment, a mid-infrared light source comprises one or more laser diodes comprising a wavelength and a pulse width of at least 100 picoseconds. One or more optical amplifiers are coupled to the pump signal and are capable of amplifying the pump signal. Further, one or more fibers are coupled to the optical amplifiers. In the fibers, the pump signal wavelength falls in the anomalous group-velocity dispersion regime for at least a fraction of the one or more fibers, and the pump signal is modulated using a modulational instability mechanism. A nonlinear element is coupled to the one or more fibers and is capable of generating a super-continuum with a substantially continuous spectrum from at least the pump signal wavelength out to 2.6 microns or longer and wherein the nonlinear element introduces less than 10 decibels of power loss at 2.6 microns.
A further embodiment involves a method of generating broadband light by generating a pump signal, wherein the pump signal comprises a wavelength shorter than 2.5 microns and a pulse width of at least 100 picoseconds. The method further comprises the step of amplifying the pump signal to a peak power of at least 500 W, modulating at least a fraction of the pump signal using a modulational instability mechanism, and broadening the pump optical spectral width to at least 100 nm using a nonlinear effect.
In yet another embodiment, a MIRFIL can use technologies that have been developed for telecommunications. For example, the pump laser can be a laser diode followed by multiple stages of optical amplifiers. The pump can use continuous wave (CW) or quasi-CW light, which may comprise pulses broader than approximately 100 picoseconds. In a preferred embodiment, the mid-IR light generation may occur in an open loop of fiber, preferably a fiber that transmits light into the mid-IR. Advantageously, only a short length of fiber can be used, such as less than about 100 meters, preferably less than about 20 m, and even more preferably less than about 10 m. With this configuration, wavelengths can be generated in the fiber beyond approximately 1.8 microns, preferably beyond approximately 2.2 microns, and even more preferably beyond 2.5 microns.
In a particular embodiment, a MIRFIL can use a laser diode driven pump laser that outputs CW or quasi-CW pulses (greater than approximately 100 picoseconds) followed by a series of fibers, wherein the first length of fiber can be made from fused silica and can be used to break the CW or quasi-CW light into pulses based on the modulational instability (MI) or parametric amplification effect, and then another length of mid-IR fiber, such as ZBLAN, fluoride, tellurite, or a semiconductor waveguide can be used to broaden the spectrum, through the nonlinearity in the medium and a mechanism such as self-phase modulation. In a preferred embodiment, some curvature in the temporal domain can help to generate the super-continuum by causing relative motion between the MI generated pulses. Also, there can advantageously be exchange of energy between MI generated pulses through the Raman effect in the medium. The design of such a MIRFIL can be that the MI-induced pulse break-up may occur primarily in the first section, and the nonlinear spectrum generation may occur primarily in the second section. In a preferred embodiment, the length of the fused silica fiber can be under 10 meters, and the length of the mid-IR fiber can be less than 20 meters.
In another embodiment, super-continuum (SC) generation from the visible or near-IR wavelength range can be accomplished using nanosecond pulse pumping. The SC generation can exemplary be initiated using modulational instability (MI). In a preferred embodiment, the seed for MI may arise from the amplified spontaneous emission from the optical amplifiers or from a near-IR light source, such as a laser diode. In a particular embodiment using fused silica fiber, the SC can cover the wavelength range substantially between approximately 0.8 microns to approximately 2.8 microns. In another particular embodiment using ZBLAN fluoride fiber, the SC can cover the wavelength range substantially between approximately 0.8 microns to approximately 4.5 microns. With control of the fiber loss from the material or from bend induced loss, as well with tailoring the composition of the fluoride fiber, the long wavelength edge of the SC may be pushed out to 5.3 microns or longer. In a preferred embodiment, it may be valuable to add a wavelength conversion stage. In addition, it may be advantageous to have a pulse compression stage following the MI pulse break-up.
In yet another embodiment, wavelength conversion into the mid-IR wavelength range can be achieved based on four-wave mixing (4WM) in fibers. 4WM usually requires phase matching, and a new window for phase matching permits phase matching into the mid-IR. In a preferred embodiment, the phase matching wavelengths can be tuned by adjusting the fiber dispersion profile and tuning the seed wavelength in the near-IR. In a particular embodiment, a solid core or photonic crystal fiber can be used with a tailored dispersion profile, a seed wavelength from a laser diode or a tunable laser in the near-IR can be used to convert light from a near-IR pump to the mid-IR wavelength range.
In another embodiment, the power for the MIRFIL can be scaled up by using a higher power pump laser, such as a cladding pumped fiber amplifier, a cladding pumped fiber laser or a solid state diode-pumped light source. Based on the damage threshold of the particular fiber employed, the core size of the fiber can also be increased to increase the power throughput and output power.
In one embodiment, an optical system for use in a spectroscopy procedure includes one or more semiconductor diodes configured to generate an input beam, wherein at least a portion of the input beam comprises a wavelength shorter than 2.5 microns, one or more optical amplifiers configured to receive at least the portion of the input beam and to communicate an intermediate beam to an output end of the one or more optical amplifiers, and one or more optical fibers configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate beam and to communicate at least the portion of the intermediate beam to a distal end of the one or more optical fibers to form a first optical beam. A nonlinear element is configured to receive at least a portion of the first optical beam and to broaden a spectrum associated with the at least a portion of the first optical beam to at least 50 nm through a nonlinear effect in the nonlinear element to form an output beam with an output beam broadened spectrum. A subsystem includes one or more lenses or mirrors configured to receive at least a portion of the output beam and to deliver at least the portion of the output beam to a sample to perform spectroscopy for characterizing the sample. At least a portion of the output beam broadened spectrum is selected to substantially minimize water absorption, has a temporal duration greater than approximately 30 picoseconds, a repetition rate between continuous wave and Megahertz or higher, and a time averaged intensity of less than approximately 50 MW/cm2. The output beam has a time averaged output power of 20 mW or more.
In another embodiment, a method of performing optical spectroscopy includes generating an input beam, wherein at least a portion of the input beam comprises a wavelength shorter than 2.5 microns and an input optical spectral width, amplifying the at least a portion of the input beam, and broadening the input optical spectral width to at least 50 nm through a nonlinear effect in a nonlinear element. The method may also include forming an output beam with an output beam broadened spectrum, receiving and delivering at least a portion of the output beam to a sample, and performing spectroscopy to characterize the sample, wherein at least a portion of the output beam broadened spectrum is selected to substantially minimize water absorption, wherein at least the portion of the output beam has a temporal duration greater than approximately 30 picoseconds, wherein at least the portion of the output beam has a repetition rate from continuous wave to Megahertz or higher, wherein a time averaged output power of the output beam is 20 mW or more, and wherein a time averaged intensity of the portion of the output beam is less than approximately 50 MW/cm2.
One embodiment includes an optical system for use in a spectroscopy procedure having a plurality of semiconductor diodes, each of the diodes configured to generate an optical beam, a beam combiner configured to receive at least a portion of the optical beams from the plurality of semiconductor diodes and to generate a multiplexed optical beam, an optical fiber configured to receive at least a portion of the multiplexed optical beam and to communicate the at least a portion of the multiplexed optical beam to form an intermediate beam having at least one wavelength, and a light guide configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate beam and to propagate the at least a portion of the intermediate beam to form an output beam. A subsystem includes one or more lenses or mirrors configured to receive at least a portion of the output beam and to deliver the at least a portion of the output beam to a sample to perform spectroscopy to characterize the sample, wherein a wavelength associated with the at least a portion of the output beam is selected to substantially minimize water absorption, wherein the at least a portion of the output beam has a temporal duration greater than approximately 30 picoseconds, wherein the at least a portion of the output beam has a repetition rate from continuous wave to a Megahertz or higher, wherein a time averaged output power of the output beam is 20 mW or more, and wherein a time averaged intensity of the at least a portion of the output beam is less than approximately 50 MW/cm2.
The fiber based mid-IR light source may be an enabling technology for a number of applications. For example, the broadband mid-IR light source may be useful for infrared counter-measures for aircraft protection. Also, the SC light source could be used in chemical sensing, for non-contact or remote sensing of firearms, weapons, drugs. The SC source could also be used for industrial chemical sensing, such as in advanced semiconductor process control, combustion monitoring, or chemical plant process control. Other potential applications include bio-medical imaging and ablation. Moreover, the broadband SC light source could advantageously be used in an optical coherence tomography configuration for semiconductor wafer imaging or defect location. In addition, the broadband light source could be instrumental for applications in the last mile solution, such as fiber to the home, node, neighborhood, curb, premise, etc. More specifically, the broadband light source could enable wavelength division multiplexed or lambda passive optical networks.
Depending on the specific features implemented, particular embodiments of the present invention may exhibit some, none, or all of the following technical advantages. Various embodiments may be capable of covering other wavelength ranges or multiple wavelength ranges. For example, SC generation can cover the visible wavelength range from approximately 0.4 microns to 0.6 microns by using a dual pumping scheme. Some embodiments may be capable of generating bands of wavelengths rather a continuous range of wavelengths, and the bands of wavelengths may also be tunable or adjustable.
Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, description and claims. Moreover, while specific advantages have been enumerated, various embodiments may include all, some or none of the enumerated advantages.